ArtistInfo

Freddie Piro

Producer

Freddie Piro is a musical Producer & Engineer. In the late 1960s, Freddie started up, Mama Jo's recording Studio. Mama Jo's (Named after his Mother) was one of the first independently owned and operated recording studios in North Hollywood, California. Endowed with massive oak beams and copious velvet wall coverings, Mama Jo’s was one of the most beautiful recording studios around. Famed acoustician Vince Van Hoff was specifically hired to design the control room and it soon acquired a reputation for being a “tweaker” room; a place where artists, producers, and engineers who were really particular about sound quality wanted to work. Many popular engineers and producers frequently use Mama Jo's, including Jack Joseph Puig, T Bone Burnett, Alan Parsons (who recorded the very first Alan Parsons Project sessions at the studio), Brown Bannister, Burt Bacharach, Larry Norman and many others. Mama Jo’s was one of the top studios in Los Angeles for over two decades. When the original owners moved on, it was abandoned for a number of years. The studio fell into disrepair and in Nov '06 was saved from the bulldozer by producers and engineers David Bianco and Michael Belfer. The pair decided to restore the studio to its former glory adding some modern touches in amenities and recording gear whilst still preserving the original studio’s aesthetic features and acoustics.In January 2007 the newly re fubished studios were unveiled under the new name Dave's Room. Musicians and bands that have regularly recorded at the studio include Keith Green, Billy Joel, Pat Benatar, Amy Grant, Sam Phillips, Ambrosia, Ziggy Marley, George Michael, Love Song, Michael W. Smith, Margaret Becker, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Andraé Crouch and the Disciples, Blink 182, Chuck Girard, The Way, Smokey Robinson, Randy Stonehill, Sweet Comfort Band, Daniel Amos (for their first album) and others. Since the early 90's Freddie has been the the owner of Ocean Studios Burbank. In 1997, Ocean Studios in Burbank, California purchased a Large Frame 80 Series NEVE console as the centerpiece for their already impressive control room. Studio owner Freddie Piro felt he already had all the elements necessary for his vision of a high-end vintage boutique tracking studio except for one thing - a large frame vintage NEVE console. Freddie had been collecting vintage gear since the 70s, but this one piece was particularly hard to find - especially in good shape. After years of hunting the world over, an unmodified mint large frame NEVE loaded with 1081s turned up, which Freddie pounced on just ahead of many other disappointed suitors.

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